


The Beach

by Maze316



Category: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness & Explorers of Sky
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Shared Trauma, Talk about feelings, Unrequited Love, friends for now - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25753483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maze316/pseuds/Maze316
Summary: Celebi and Grovyle are safe in the stable future. They have to wonder -- what abouttheirfuture? What does the world hold in store as they embrace the warmth of life? Will they ever thaw from the frostbite of their past?
Relationships: Celebi/Juptile | Grovyle (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	The Beach

They’d made it a habit of theirs to watch the sunset. Although the emergence of dawn was intoxicating, Celebi had discovered the luxury of sleeping in. They settled for the next best thing: twilight.

They found their way to a beach; they’d been traveling along a coastline. Grovyle waved for Celebi to follow him off the rocky outcropping and onto the sand below. It was still warm from the heat of the day, but not nearly as scalding. The sky was clear. Only a hint of paleness touched the west.

“It’s so beautiful here,” Celebi awed. “Oceans are so vast.”

Grovyle found a spot near the rising tide and sat down. Celebi followed suit, hovering above the sand for a moment before plopping down. A shiver ran up her spine as the warmth surrounded her. Grovyle hid a smile.

“My partner was found in a beach just like this,” Grovyle said. “I saw it myself. When they were separated from me, somehow, they ended up on the shore. Their partner just happened to be enjoying the sunset when it happened. Just like we are now.”

“They were lucky, all things considered. To see something like this in your first moments in the past? If only they hadn't lost their memory. It would've been so inspiring.”

“And to find such a dear friend there.”

“Precisely. A lucky beach.”

“It was even more beautiful there. Krabby lived there, and they would bubble in the evening. The light of the sun would hit it just right, and it was like they contained rainbows.”

They took a moment to watch the sun. It had closer approached the horizon, and a slice of the sky was orange. It slowly consumed its sliver of the sky.

“Truly something worth protecting.”

Grovyle nodded. Even without the Krabby, he couldn't take his eyes off of the sunset. Nothing to compare to his first sunrise, but each subsequent one was like a small miracle. He still hadn't gotten over it. He doubted if he ever would.

“Grovyle…” Celebi started to say. “You know, I never would've thought in a million years we would be watching a sunset like this in the future.”

“Me neither,” he agreed.

“There were so many things I never expected to have in the future. The sunlight. Good food. A working circadian rhythm.” She giggled. “But I never… I never thought I would have more time to spend with you.”

“We're lucky.”

“We are. And I never thought… I never thought we would be anything other than partners in crime, ending the apocalypse.”

Grovyle looked down at her. She took a deep sigh. 

“I gave up hope that we could be anything else, but part of me still believed we could. It kept me going, you know? I needed something so I could complete our suicide mission. But never in my wildest dreams did I think my naive hopes could come true.”

“Celebi.”

“What I'm trying to say is I like you. I have special feelings for you. And it's dumb, because we never had a chance, but I couldn't help but love your drive and determination to make the world a better place and sacrifice yourself for a better future and—”

“You're rambling.”

“Of  _ course _ I'm rambling! I'm telling you how I feel, you jerk!” Celebi’s pink cheeks flushed bright red. “I just… could never tell you. There was no point. But, now, maybe…”

Grovyle looked out at the sunset. Pink had crept its way below the orange haze. The sea before them sparkled with golden lights.

“I wish I could tell you what you wanted to hear, Celebi.”

“I should've known.” Celebi's wings drooped. “I was just naive thinking you’d ever like me.”

“Well, no, just, listen to me.” Grovyle frowned. “I feel like… I should. You're smart, and you're tough-spirited. You've been selfless, not even being able to visit the past, and yet, nothing ever seems to let you down. You were a light in the dark future, Celebi. I always thought I was lucky to have that. You let me take my mind off things for a while.

“I just… In the dark future, I couldn't even begin to think like that. I'd decided I was going to die for the good of the world. I deeply cared for both you and Katie, but… I couldn't let myself feel it. I had this constant, nagging anxiety. If I messed up, if I failed, the future would be like that forever. It was in my hands. And even then, I couldn't think about succeeding, because I couldn't… I couldn't think about it.

“My brain was turned on for so long, I feel like it doesn't know how to shut itself off again. I should be relaxed now that the future is normal, and we're still alive. But I'm not. It's been months. I don't know what's wrong with me.”

“Grovyle…”

“I can’t say I feel the same. But… I don't know if that means anything right now.”

“…I think I get that. I thought things would be different. Like afterwards, I was in a state of shock, you know? But I never felt it wear off. We just went on to the next thing, like… like it was always this way.”

“That's my fault. I couldn't sit still.”

“No, no! I wanted to, too! Trust me, I would've said no if I didn't want to.”

The orb of the sun was half consumed by the earth. Purple lined the horizon, and the sky was entirely mixed with orange and pink. Their bodies left long shadows behind them.

“We're a couple of messed up heroes, aren't we, Grovyle?”

Grovyle laughed. He opened his jaw wide and laughed.

“I don't think I've heard you laugh in ages!” Celebi said.

“I haven't.” A smile still lingered on his face. “You know, I think we need each other right now. We both need someone to understand what we've been through. Maybe that's all we need. Time and each other.”

“Maybe that's it.”

“I hope you know that means the world to me. Your help, through everything, and now, even after the fact…” He nodded to himself. “I need a good friend.”

“And you have a great one here,” Celebi grinned.

“Of course.” Grovyle stretched out his toes as the last of the sand's warmth touched them. He took a deep breath of the salty air and let it out. “And if we could have more nights like these… who knows.”

“We might just end up okay. Together.”

The first planets showed themselves in the darkening sky, and then the first stars. Drowsiness came with the night, and the both of them yawned. It was time to make camp, but the heavy lethargy of the beach held them back. It wasn't until the sands turned cold did they stir again.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at the same time as my other PMD fics (about a year ago). No idea why I never published it. Oh well! Here it is now!


End file.
